Category Archives: Screenwriting

A Screenwriter’s Bag of Tricks

Posted on December 1, 2017 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Most of our writing tips focus on the creation of a sound story, regardless of the medium in which you are working. But since the writing of screenplays has its own unique restrictions, requirements, and opportunities, we thought it might … Continue reading →

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Screenwriting 101

Posted on November 27, 2017 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Screenplays are blueprints for movies. As such, they are not art, but instructions for creating art. Therefore, there are two things every great screenplay must have: A good story, and a clear and understandable description of how it should be … Continue reading →

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Characters – The Attributes of Age

Posted on August 2, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Introduction Writers tend to create characters that are more or less the same age as themselves. On the one hand, this follows the old adage that one should write about what one knows. But in real life, we encounter people … Continue reading →

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How to Avoid the “Genre Trap”

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A common misconception sees genre as a fixed list of dramatic requirements or a rigid structural template from which there can be no deviation. Writers laboring under these restrictions often find themselves boxed-in creatively. They become snared in the Genre … Continue reading →

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Drop Exposition through Arguments

Posted on July 31, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Here’s a short one… A person talking is often boring. People arguing are often compelling. If you have to drop exposition, try to do it in the back and forth barbs of an argument. Let the characters use the information … Continue reading →

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Screenwriting Tip: Don’t say it if you can show it!

Posted on July 30, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle   Movies are a visual medium. The strongest impact is created by what is seen, not what is said. Although we might marvel at well-written … Continue reading →

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Writing with Red Herrings

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle   The old expression, “A Red Herring,” means something that is intentionally misleading. In screenplays, a red herring is a scene, which is set up … Continue reading →

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Screenwriting Tip: Break Up Monologues

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle   There are some moments in some movies in which a long monolog by a single individual works well. Any inspiring public speech, for example, … Continue reading →

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Using Index Cards for Your Story

Posted on July 26, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

Excerpted from: 50 Sure-Fire Storytelling Tricks! By Melanie Anne Phillips Available in Paperback and for Kindle Index cards (3×5 or 5×7 in size) are often used by screenwriters to plan out the sequence of events in their stories. Usually, a script … Continue reading →

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There are Many Kinds of Endings

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Melanie Anne Phillips

A character might change and resolve their personal angst, yet fail in their quest as a result. Was it worth it? Depends on the degree of angst and the size of the failure. Another character might not resolve their angst; … Continue reading →

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